The lessons for each Sunday in the church year proclaim God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Also derived from a Sunday’s texts are lessons for the Christ-inspired and Christ-like life of God’s people. The comments here will help you find hunger-related threads –sermon starters – among the themes of this day’s texts. (We're presuming you have already done your exegetical work on the texts.) God bless your proclamation (and teaching) of what is most certainly true!

As you remember those men and women who have fought for their country, be mindful that some of those who struggle to feed their families are our veterans.

The prophet Elijah was sent by God to visit Zarephath, where he met a widow and her son. When he arrived, Elijah was quite hungry and asked for food. The widow had so little food for herself and her son that she feared they would die of hunger, yet she shared her own bread with Elijah. God responded by providing more than enough for the three to eat together. (1 Kings 17:8-16) God calls us to serve all who hunger (Matthew 25:35-40; James 2:15-16). The story of Elijah and the widow reminds us that those who are hungry are also our sisters and brothers, gifted by God and very often sharing what they have with others in need.

Praise, indeed, belongs to God – who made heaven, earth, the seas and all that is in them. Praise also be to God who gives justice to those who are oppressed, food to the hungry, freedom to the captive, sight to the blind, love to the righteous, care to the stranger, and sustenance for the orphan and widow. This is the dominion of God. We are called and empowered to be God’s hand in the world, doing the work of God. If God does all of the above, then we are called to follow in God’s ways.

Jesus offers harsh words for religious leaders of the day, those who walk around in long robes. Perhaps his warnings should be heeded by those of us who are the religions leaders of our day, walking around in our long robes. We should be mindful not to seek places of honor and not to say long prayers for the sake of appearances. We should remember that we are called to equip the saints for the work of ministry – to love God and to love our neighbor. This work of ministry includes all the saints – those who are wealthy and those who are poor. All are gifted by God and all have something to offer in the work of the kingdom.